Well I guess there's still a steady stream of people that find a camera (or whatever) they want, go to google products, and sort by lowest price..
I'm surprised to see that formal of a storefront. Seriously. If they are planning on operating for 6 months then moving on, why would they bother to get a nice awning with their name on it? Sure, the location doesn't look great but I'm sure that keeps their cost down. AFAIK these are internet-only companies, it's much easier to scam people that can't come back tomorrow and scream at you in person. It's far easier to hang up on your concerned customers..
There's really only one thing you can do - educate people.Let people know where the *actual* good deals are..
In my case, I've had great success with B&H Photo, both the new and used equipment. I tell my friends to shop there, that's all I can do..
-Porter..
1. Comes with warranty. No mention if it is the official manufacturer's USA warranty..
2. Memory cards are staggeringly expensive, such as over $100 for a 2 gb card (this is for late 2007, not years earlier)3. Memory card USB reader costs $70 or even up to $100..
Any other red flag warnings that I missed?The Kodachromeguy..
Yes, you forgot about the $120 batteries and the Plastic vs. Magnesium frame on the camera body or the plastic vs. glass lenses. They tried to tell me that the battery was a demo version and would only last about 5 minutes. They tried to sell chargers, memory cards, lens packages, etc. I just told them I already had all of that stuff and the camera body was to be used as a backup. That's when they say it'll take 6-8 weeks for it to be in stock...
Kodachromeguy wrote:.
Any other red flag warnings that I missed?.
Of course, the instruction manual is extra, $20 or $30 if you want it in English......
You wanted your camera's menus in English as well....well that is this model that costs $100 more...... .
JohnPentax *ist-D, K100D, Fuji F20/31fd, Oly Stylushttp://www.pbase.com/jglover..
I saw the "Parking & Storage" sign, below which it says "Park at your own risk." I wondered, yes, how do they stay in business!.
My confusion aside, thanks for posting this. I've seen similar accounts of software review sites handing out phony awards and ratings to promote their business partners. Shouldn't be surprising that a lot of what's on the net is BS; you really need to do business with established companies with good reputations...